Fall of France
The Fall of France or Battle of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries that started on 10 May 1940, ending the Phoney War. The German invasion, code-named Case Yellow, entailed an armoured thrust through the Ardennes Forest, which bypassed the principal French defences of the Maginot Line. The German tank and infantry spreaheads would then threaten to encircle the northern French defences and British reinforcements under General Lord Gort from the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Low Countries Just a week into the invasion, the German troops had broken through the French northern defences. General Hans von Sponeck's 22nd Infantry Division quickly overwhelmed the Dutch units defending the Valkenburg, Ypenburg and Ockenburg airfields, and the bombing of Rotterdam and killing of almost 900 civilians persuaded General Wilkelman to surrender on 15 May. And although German forces in the attack on The Hague encountered strong resistance and lost 1,000 captured in counterattacks from the Dutch 1st Corps"By late evening, the Dutch had taken approximately 1,000 German prisoners, and Sponeck himself was among the wounded. For the time being the attack on The Hague was a failure." World War II in Europe: An Encyclopedia, David T. Zabecki, Routledge, 2015, the German thrust through the Netherlands met with eventual success. The 7th French Army having crossed the Dutch border, had no option but to fall back and take up positions outside Brussels. Meuse On 13 May, the first German divisions emerged from the Ardennes near Sedan, on the River Meuse. In a two-day battle, the German Army crossed the river, despite fierce resistance from the French conscript divisions and near-suicidal attacks by Allied aircraft. On 14 May, two French armoured cavalry battalions and supporting infantry from the French-officered 71st North African Infantry Division counterattacked, initially halting the invaders, but the Germans eventually regained the initiative. Lacking a centrally placed strategic reserve, the French commanders ordered their divisions out of Belgium to respond to the new threat emerging in their rear. The British Expeditionary Force were advancing to the River Dyle and had not been affected. But the German breakthrough to the south now forced them into rapid retreat to avoid being cut off. On 20 May, German panzers units reached Amiens and effectively trapped the BEF, who now made for Dunkirk in the hope of a rescue attempt on the part of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. On 21 May, a scratch force of British tanks and infantry gave a rough reception to General Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division at Arras. Dunkirk With the French defences collapsing, a British evacuation plan known as Operation Dynamo was hastily prepared by Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay of the Royal Navy. His strategy included the French Navy that would help the British evacuate the British and French armies. Between 26 May and 4 June, a period during which the panzer battalions were withing 10 miles from Dunkirk, 338, 226 British, French, Belgian and Polish troops were evacuated to Britain, including 13,053"Of these, 211,532 were listed as physically fit British troops, 13,053 as British sick or wounded, and 112,546 as Allies, mostly French but including some Belgians." Britain, Volume 4, p. 4, British Information Services, 1944, 1945British sick and wounded. Six British destroyers, eight troopships and 243 smaller boats were lost during the evacuation. According to the book The British Army in France After Dunkirk (Pen & Sword, 2009), 40,000 British troops were killed, wounded or captured at Dunkirk. Around 3,500"Enemy action against ships at sea and the beaches resulted in the deaths of some 3,500 British troops out of the total of 68,111 killed, wounded and taken prisoner during the retreat to Dunkirk." Churchill's Channel War 1939-45, Robert Jackson, Osprey Publishing, 2013Dunkirk veterans commemorate 60th anniversary of epic rescueBritish were killed in the retreat and evacuations with 1,500The miracle of Dunkirk: 40 facts about the famous evacuationFrench civilians believed killed in and around Dunkirk. During the Dunkirk evacuations, The RAF did its best to protect the Allied troops and ships. It flew 3,500 missions, losing 145 aircraft while shooting down 156 Luftwaffe aircraft. Riviera On 10 June, the Italian invaders attacked through the Little Saint Bernard Pass in the French Alps but encounter stiff resistance from the French mountain divisions under General René Olry and dispersed. The Italians eventually work their wayITALIANS REPORT ADVANCE ON NICE Attack By French Repelledround the French defenders and capture Menton, Briançon and part of Uodane, overrunning a French rearguard in their advance past Lablachère along the Riviera Road, having finally broken through the determined French defences at three places in the Isère Valley."The group of two armies ... scored only some minor local successes in the Isere valley, near Uodane, and Briancon and Mentone on the Riviera was taken after heavy fighting." World War II German Military Studies: Introduction & Guide, Donald S. Detwiler, Charles Burton Burdick, Jürgen Rohwer, p. 19, Garland Publications, 1979Italy To Take Over Nice And Savoy As War With France Ceases French Armistice On 5 June, the German panzer divisions renewed their attacks. That day, a panzer unit after an attack on the Somme was within striking distance of the French capital. On 10 June, Italy entered the war on Germany's side with the Regia Aeronautica bombing the cities of Orléans and Marseille. "The Luftwaffe also attacke the Citroën works on the Quai Javel in Paris and targets as far away as Cherbourg and the Loire valley, while the Italian Air Force hits Orleans and Marseille." Forgotten Blitzes: France and Italy under Allied Air Attack, 1940-1945, Claudia Baldoli, Andrew Knapp, p. 7, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012That day, the French government fled Paris for Bordeaux, declaring Paris an open city. On 11 June, Churchill visited Paris, attempting to stiffen whatever French resolve remained, but unable to offer any more significant military support. On 14 June, German forces marched into Paris, provoking the flight of the French Government to Bordeaux. Meanwhile, the panzer formations advanced in different directions across France, finishing off pockets of resistance, crossing the River Loire on 17 June, and reaching the Swiss frontier a few days later. On 22 June, General Pretelat surrendered the 2nd French Army Group, marking the end of the fighting after nearly two months of French resistance. At the request of Hitler, the surrender document was signed in the same railway carriage when Germany capitulated in 1918. French losses were 90,000 killed, 200,000 wounded, and 1,800,000 captured. German losses were reported to be 10,252 killed, 42,523 wounded, and 8,467 missing or captured. Second BEF The British 1st Armoured Division (under General Jonathan Forse), 51st Highland Division (under General Victor Fortune)51ST HIGHLAND DIVISION and Beauman Division continued to fight as part of the "Second BEF" but were overrun at Forges-les-Eaux, St Valéry-en-Caux and Cherbourg on 8, 12 and 17 June, losing many tanks. During Operation Ariel ''(the final evacuation of British troops from St Nazaire), the troopship ''Lancastria was sunk on 17 June with the loss of 1,738RMS Lancastria: Worst Loss of Life on a British ShipBritish troops, civilians and crew. Loss of English Channel Islands The English Channel Islands - comprising Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm - were soon occupied after the French surrender after British Prime Minister Winston Churchill concluded them impossible to defend after much loss of British equipment at Dunkirk, St Nazaire and other ports of evacuation. In the retreat to Dunkirk and other ports, the BEF was forced to leave behind 2,400 artillery guns, 445 tanks, 65,000 vehicles and 68,000 tonnes of ammunition.The miracle of Dunkirk: 40 facts about the famous evacuationWinston Churchill, who had become Prime Minster on 10 May, hailed Dunkirk as a miracle and described the British determination as the "Dunkirk spirit", but also warned that "wars are not won by evacuations". Mers-el-Kébir Fearing losing the French Navy to the Axis side, Churchill set in motion Operation Catapult with the Royal Navy presenting the French naval commanders at Mers-el-Kebir with an ultimatum to sail to Britain or to a neutral port for internment. When this offer was rejected on 3 July, British ships bombarded the French naval fleet, killing 1,297 French sailors. Although this operation did much to assure Washington of the strength of the British resolve, it and the evacuation of Dunkirk did great damage to Franco-British wartime relations. References Category:Campaigns Category:Battles in the Western Front Category:1940